Powered electronics apparatuses, such as general purpose inverter, uninterruptible power supply, machine tool, and industrial robot, use power modules. Such power modules include a power-switching circuit in which a plurality of IGBT chips are combined, driving circuits for driving the IGBTs, and the like. These driving circuits are connected to various terminals formed outside the case. For example, a power module used in an inverter has, external P and N terminals for the input and output of direct-current power, and an external control terminal for control signals. Each control terminal is composed of a plurality of pins or plate-like tabs, each with one end connected to, e.g., driving circuits for IGBTs, and an insulating terminal block that holds these pins or tabs. The terminal block is attached to the case by a method such as postforming, adhesive joining, screwing, or the like.
In using such a power module, the user attaches a main circuit to the device (module) by screwing it into the terminal boards. In this case, a control circuit is attached to the device, i.e., the power module in the case, in the following manner. More specifically, a board that includes a control IC and the like is directly soldered to a pin or tab extending from the terminal block, or a pin or tab extending from the terminal block is inserted into a connecter connected or attached to the board.
As described above, a conventional semiconductor device requires soldering or the placement of connectors on the user's side, and the costs of wiring man-hours and parts are considerable. Under such circumstances, a semiconductor device with a structure that reduces the material cost and processing cost of the product by omitting the soldering of control terminals to a control-circuit board outside a case on the user's side has been proposed, for instance in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-144249.
According to such a semiconductor device, each control terminal comprises a bellows spring or coil spring and is electrically connected to an external control-circuit board not by soldering, but by pressure contact using the elastic force of the control terminal. The control terminal is held in a resin case by being insert-molded onto the side walls of the resin case. The control terminals concentrated on the side walls of the resin case are joined to an in-case substrate through the use of bonding wires.
However, in such a conventional semiconductor device, all control terminals are insert-molded onto the side walls of a resin case, and the positions of the control terminals are limited to the vicinity of the periphery of the resin case. Accordingly, even if the user desires to minimize the wiring between the control terminals and the external control-circuit board by arranging the control terminals in the center of the semiconductor device, not only in an in-case substrate but also in the external control-circuit board connected through the control terminals, wires must be guided from their interconnection positions at least to the positions of the side walls. Therefore, there is little flexibility in the positions of the control terminals and the wiring layout.
Accordingly, there still remains a need for a semiconductor/electronic device without the problems mentioned above. The present invention addresses this need.